Meet Terps defensive tackle commit David Shaw

Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Sun

With national signing day a day away, preview the Terps' class of 2014 with a handy, commit-by-commit guide. Prospect profiles will run all the way through Wednesday (Feb. 5), when players can officially sign a national letter of intent. (SEE THEM ALL HERE.)

Breakdown: On Wikipedia, there are three “football rivalries” linked with Maryland: Virginia, West Virginia and … Penn State. The first two teams, to the discerning young Maryland fan and Wikipedia user, are no surprise to see. The teams have met regularly, and played fiercely, over the past decade. But the Nittany Lions? The last matchup came in 1993, when a 70-7 Penn State win dropped the Terps’ all-time series record to an ignominious 1-35-1. Some rivalry, indeed. The two are set to resume their regular encounters next season, when Maryland joins the Big Ten Conference, and there may be no one in the program more excited for it than Shaw. And he likely won’t even play. One brother, Jim Shaw, was a defensive lineman for the Nittany Lions. Another brother, John Shaw, was a Penn State offensive lineman. To be sure, there are other reasons why Shaw chose Maryland — College Park is actually closer to home than State College, Randy Edsall also happens to be a York County native, he had only a Terps offer when he committed in June — but the reach, and importance, of Big Ten football is evident here. Shaw was wearing Penn State mesh shorts as recently as two seasons ago. On Wednesday, he’ll sign a national letter of intent and prepare for a career against his childhood favorite.